Opinion - The Demise of the Trade Union

I found some of the comments in the 'Have You Say' section of this BBC News story somewhat ironic.

People bemoan union members for going on strike stating that the union is out of order for demanding a 5.9% pay rise because they (The complainers) would be lucky to ever get such a rise in their work place. Do they not even think for a second that the reason they could never get such a pay rise is precisely because of the lack of unionisation in their workplace? Do they not realise that we are increasingly headed backwards to a 6/7 day a week working week because these conditions are now dictated by 'the free market' and not by negotiation between workers and management? Unions were out of order to some extent in the 1970s in the UK, only now are we beginning to see the legacy of their loss. Sadly people seem to be so caught up in their own convenience that they cannot see this.

Alternatives to Neoliberalism
Interesting piece by Monbiot that contrasts the relative economic success of the UK and Sweden along with the gap between rich and poor in those countries....

The Bush Organisational Philosophy

This op-ed piece (c/o Mike, ta), makes some interesting points about how Bush appoints cabinet members. Worth a read.